October 2013

We’re covering the trifecta of online marketing this month: search, social and email marketing. Digital marketers continue to seek ways to build stronger relationships with their customers. This month’s focus on integrated marketing should help them in that effort.

This Month’s Top Online Marketing News:

Google May Ditch ‘Cookies’ as Online Ad Tracker
Google, which accounts for about a third of worldwide online ad revenue, is developing an anonymous identifier for advertising (AdID) that would replace third-party cookies as the way advertisers track people’s Internet browsing activity for marketing purposes.

7 Badass Tactics for SlideShare Content Domination
As prospects and customers continue to be bombarded with information in the form of pure text, such as whitepapers and blogs, it can be difficult to differentiate your content from the competition. Visual content can help and Slideshare is the perfect place to publish.

12 Must-Read Books to Inspire Your Online Marketing
It’s still all about content. Topping the list, The New Rules of Marketing & PR, a classic only five years after it was first published. David Meeram Scott spawned the next generation of online marketers. Lee Odden’s, Optimize, made the cut (a well-deserved acknowledgement, I might add).

Google Launches Hashtag Search
If you search Google for a hashtag, you might see Google+ posts using that hashtag to the right of the regular search results. The Google+ posts will scroll automatically, or you can control them manually via the up/down arrows at the top.

From the TopRank Blog

How Does B2B Marketing Work on Google+? 4 Top B2B Tech Company ExamplesThought leaders and subject matter experts increasingly serve as trusted sources to help business buyers determine the best solution to solve a business need. Knowledge and expertise combined with social media have trumped the peer influencers of the traditional buyer, giving rise to the “B2B Social Buyer.” Here’s a look at some well-known B2B technology brands taking advantage of this new type of buyer who sources information and networks on Google+.

How to Use Email Marketing to Engage & Convert CustomersAccording to MailerMailer® , email is beginning to maintain more of a steady year-round influence. However, “most industries (77.1% of them) scored below 20% for their CTR, indicating that the offers and design of their messages, as well as their segmentation and targeting, require some attention,” they concluded in their annual Email Marketing Metrics Report. Here are some tips to help you improve your email engagement.

Andrew Davis Offers 5 Secrets to Bigger, Better Marketing Results with Less ContentAs marketers and content producers, we are indeed, contributing to the information overload of the consumer. Digital marketers spend a huge amount of time churning out and branding content. However, we don’t spend nearly enough time thinking of creating a content brand. Andrew Davis, author of Brandscaping, gave some great advice at Content Marketing World. Read on.

The Future of Content Marketing on the Search and Social WebAt Content Marketing World in Cleveland, Ohio – one of TopRanks’ fearless leaders, Lee Odden, spoke with Content Marketers from over 40 different countries on “The Future of Search & Social” in the first breakout session of the day. Discover where your company fits in the Content Marketing Maturity Model and how your content can provide the best answer your customer is looking for with an integrated approach.

Fun Fact

TopRank in the News

ScribbleLive Features Lee Odden as Standout #CMWorld Speaker
The goal of Content Marketing World was to prep professionals with the content marketing knowledge they need to succeed in the world of real-time data-driven storytelling. By combining the visuals and humor, Lee provided concrete examples of how to effectively reach a brand’s desired audience.

West Central Tribune Pays Homage to Minnesota Native Lee Odden
This digital media outlet wrote about Lee’s contribution to the social media strategy conversation after his keynote speech at the Social Media Rockstars conference held in Rewood Falls, Minn.

“I too am impressed when I come across a client or prospect that hasn’t even considered SEO in their content marketing strategy. Sure, it’s not the be-all-&-end-all, but it’s got to be included in the overall strategy.

I totally agree with Lee’s quote that content has to be found to be consumed. Otherwise you’re just talking to yourself. haha

“One thought to add is the opportunity to bring in top customers as part of the value creation process. This provides the marketer/business with not only a great source of research and innovation, but also an incubator for creating evangelists. Customers involved in the process are also likely to become some of your best sales-people.
– Jake Parent, from For Epic Marketing, Subscription Needs to Top Your Marketing Objectives.

“Thanks for sharing this recap of Lee’s presentation, excellent article. You’ve made it clear, the future of search, social and content marketing offer promising opportunities for small businesses to expand their reach and drive sales.

I like how Lee describes content marketing as being the best answer for your consumer, it reminds me of Google’s quest to deliver the best results and makes sense that we should align that strategy for SEO.

I’d argue that the future is closer than some might think. Our local business clients are using our “Nearby Now” product and mobile app to generate and publish dynamic, real-time content. Staff members are using check-ins with photos and more importantly, reviews from customers are collected and published automatically.